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There's nothing as dangerous in police work as the no-knock warrant, which allows law enforcement officers to enter a property without warning.

But despite the fact that such operations have gotten a lot of cops—and others—killed, many say the practice is still law enforcement's best chance at catching bad guys and secure evidence to be used at trial.

Because of the controversies surrounding no-knock warrants, some lawmakers—including Georgia State Sen. Vincent Fort—are looking to scale back or eliminate the practice entirely.

In Georgia, Carrie Mill a retired Atlanta Police officer with 30 years on the job—most of that in the drug unit—and a union rep for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, says no-knock warrants were critical in closing cases and winning convictions.

"If we knock and announced, all evidence is going to be destroyed," Mills told Atlanta's WGCL-TV.

A 44-year-old Irvine mother who worked as a school district behavioral specialist was sentenced Friday June 6th, to three years and four months in state prison for sexually assaulting two boys, authorities said.

Nicole McMillen was convicted in October 2013 of four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child and three felony counts of oral copulation of a minor under 16.

McMillen, the Orange County district attorney’s office said, would maintain a “fun” home where youngsters would come over to play or watch movies with her own children.

Prosecutors said McMillen sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy on two occasions in early 2012.

The youth told his mother about the incidents and the family reported it to the Irvine Police

A man suspected of stealing more than $2,000 worth of alcohol during a series of grocery store burglaries in Irvine was arrested Wednesday after a Tustin detective recognized his description, police said.

Investigators allege that Cortez placed bottles of liquor in a cart, then walked out of the stores without paying. They believe he avoided stealing high-end alcohol, which is usually locked up at grocery stores, Engen said.

Detectives believe Cortez re-sold the alcohol, Engen said, although they don’t know who he sold it to.

State high court ruled that such evidence is "presumed authentic" unless a defendant can successfully challenge it.

The California Supreme Court made it easier Thursday for prosecutors to use red-light camera evidence against drivers who fail to stop at traffic signals.

In a ruling issued in San Francisco, the court unanimously said that images and data automatically recorded by the cameras have a "presumption of authenticity" similar to the presumption for other types of photos and videos.

Under the presumption, the camera evidence is considered valid unless a defendant can successfully challenge it.